Of Eggs and parenting : Chipmunk Style
by Somnion
Summary: Three eggs, three couples, three unique experiences. With an assignment on parenting, how will the Chipmunks and Chipettes fare with Alvin and Brittany's quarrels, Simon's accidental dismissal of Jeanette's maternal instincts and Theodore's huge appetite
1. Meet the Parents

Title: Of Eggs and Parenting: Chipmunk Style

Written by: Somnion

Chapter 1: Meet the Parents

Friday; the day everyone looks forward to. It's the beginning of the weekend and the herald of two precious days of liberation from duties and responsibilities. "At least that is what it was supposed to be", Alvin thought to himself when their teacher revealed to the class that he was giving out an assignment which would need to be carried during the course of the upcoming weekend. A perfect weekend flushed down the drain.

"Very well," said their teacher as he stood at the head of the class, "This assignment will be a simple group assignment which will require you work in pairs and ends with you having to write a report at the end of it."

"Pairs, this is perfect," Alvin thought to himself. A grin spread across his lips as he gave his brother Simon a look. Simon knew what it meant, another assignment with Alvin latching onto him like a remora and expecting him to do all the work. Before Simon had any chance to object, Alvin quickly volunteered the both of them as a team. To Alvin's surprise and Simon's obvious pleasure, the proposal was rejected.

"I'm sorry, Alvin," apologized their teacher as he shook his head, "but this assignment will have to be done with a boy and a girl working together, it's a simple assignment about parenting."

Alvin's light brown fur had probably gone all white when he heard the message. Not only wasn't he allowed to work with Simon, which would have definitely been to his greatest advantage, but now he would have to work with a girl! Not that he didn't like girls but working with them usually meant he had to do work, HALF of the work, which was completely unacceptable for Alvin's standards. But all hope was not lost just yet, Alvin thought to himself. If he couldn't have Simon, he'd just get a female version of his intelligent bespectacled brother. Of course, that meant Jeanette. Timid, submissive, intelligent Jeanette would be perfect. Knowing her, she would definitely do all the work and would probably be too submissive to say no. Yes, she was perfect for this job. He was just about to volunteer them but Simon beat him to it this time.

"So, Simon you'll be pairing up with Jeanette?"

"Yes, Sir," Simon replied as he wrote his and Jeanette's name on the list which was placed on the teacher's desk, Jeanette by his side.

Alvin fumed inwardly as saw his chance for an easy A-grade assignment pass him by. Simon sure didn't waste any time in getting Jeanette to be his partner and Alvin had to find someone else. He looked around desperately to find a partner. Theodore, as usual, had paired up with Eleanor and from the looks of things; it seemed that all the girls had been taken, save one. Brittany Miller. It was no surprise though, she had a tendency to latch onto Jeanette just as Alvin would to Simon and they both were infamous for being dead weight when it came to group assignments. Alvin groaned to himself, he knew the old slogan, 'When there's only one candidate, there's only one choice'. So it happened that Alvin paired up with Brittany, Simon with Jeanette and Theodore with Eleanor.

"Very good," continued their teacher as Alvin and Brittany wrote their name on the list, "I'll explain the assignment to you. Each pair will be a given a single egg which they will have the responsibility of caring for throughout the course of the weekend. You will only be given a single egg, so do your best not to break it. I've marked the eggs individually so I will know if there's been any cheating. Finally, you will have to write a report on the experience you received while undertaking this assignment. The objective of this assignment is to cultivate teamwork and joint responsibility, act as though you are actually taking care of the egg as though it were a baby. Are there any questions?"

As the class shook their head in response, the eggs were given out to each group. After all eggs were given out, the students were dismissed with a reminder to have their reports ready by Monday, next week.

* * *

"Isn't this wonderful," exclaimed Eleanor delightedly as the Chipmunks and Chipettes walked home from school. "We get to be parents to this little egg."

"Well," Brittany said confidently, "I guess it goes without saying who amongst us is going to be the best parents for this assignment."

"It's not a competition, Brittany," Eleanor replied. "We all have to do our best, right Theodore?"

The youngest chipmunk nodded in agreement with a smile, for he was really looking forward to this assignment. It was rare they got to have such a fun assignment and Theodore was glad that it wasn't something distasteful like dissecting frogs. However, his older brother took Brittany's side.

"There's nothing like a little competition to add some spice to an assignment," Alvin said cheekily. "I bet a dollar that Brittany and I can be better parents than you guys."

As the four chipmunks argued, Jeanette and Simon followed behind. Simon let out a tired sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as his siblings argued. At least Alvin hadn't dragged him into this quarrel; it would have been an all-out war if he did. Jeanette, who was walking next to Simon, was caught up in her own thoughts. Eleanor mentioning them as parents had put Jeanette's mind into contemplation mode. She began to wonder and ponder on the nature and trials of motherhood. Of course, Jeanette had a record of becoming exceedingly clumsy whenever she entered this mode and sure enough, she didn't realize her left shoelace wasn't tied and tripped over it. With a scream, she tossed the egg she was holding into the air as she fell. Fortunately, Simon grabbed the egg before it hit the ground. Pity, he wasn't able to do the same for Jeanette, as the bespectacled chipette hit the ground face first.

"Jeanette!" Eleanor cried in worry, forgetting her argument with Brittany to rush to her sister's aid. "Are you alright?" she asked as Jeanette rubbed her sore button nose.

"The egg!" Jeanette screamed in worry as he looked around her frantically. She couldn't believe she blundered so badly, she could very well have cost herself and Simon the entire assignment.

"Don't worry," Simon said calmly, as he held up the egg and proceeded to help Jeanette to her feet. "I caught it." Jeanette let out a sigh of relief.

"Honestly, Jeanette," Brittany said as her sister got to her feet. "You need to be more careful. You'll never be good mother if you're dropping your baby all the time."

"Brittany!" Eleanor exclaimed in surprise, shocked at her elder sister's rudeness. "That was mean."

"It's called constructive criticism, Eleanor," argued the pony-tailed chipette. "I'm doing Jeanette a favor."

"It's alright, Eleanor," Jeanette said in Brittany's defense. "I really should be more careful. After all, had it not been for Simon, I would have probably cracked the egg."

Eleanor let out a sigh, Jeanette was obviously too nice for her own good sometimes. It was clear that Eleanor wasn't finished with her sister, Brittany, but Simon stepped in before the mess escalated into another quarrel.

"In any case," said the blue clad chipmunk, "I think we should make some cases for these eggs so they'll be a little more durable. I think they're some egg cartons at our house, we can make some egg cases out of those."

"That's a great idea, Simon," agreed Theodore with a smile. "We can paint the cases later too, so we know whose egg belongs to whom."

So, another quarrel was resolved without too much words being violently exchanged; a rare occurrence when it came to the Chipmunks and the Chipettes. Jeanette walked next to Simon, her eyes cast down.

"Sorry," she apologized, almost in a whisper.

"It's alright," assured Simon, pushing up his thick glasses. "This sort of thing happens sometimes. We just have to be careful." Jeanette smiled in response. It was nice to have a partner like Simon who was always so polite to her.

"What should we name our baby egg, Theodore?" asked Eleanor suddenly.

Theodore rubbed his chin with his hand as he tried to think of a name. Suddenly, his face lit up as a name came to mind.

"Dave!" he exclaimed happily. "Let's call our baby, Baby Dave." Eleanor giggled as she nodded head in agreement, stating that it was a nice name for their baby egg.

"Hey, Alvin," called Brittany as she turned to Alvin, batting her eyes at him. "Do YOU know what we should name our baby?'

"Yea, James," said Alvin with a grin.

"JAMES?!" screamed Brittany in response, "What kind of girl's name is James?"

"It's not a girl's name, dummy," he said with a scoff. "It's obviously a boy's name. Like James Bond."

"Since when was our baby a boy?" Brittany retaliated. "It's obviously a girl and we're calling her Farah. Like Farah Fawcett."

"What?!" yelled Alvin in return. "No way."

Simon shook his head; he knew the peace wouldn't last long and it was only a matter of time before he and Jeanette would be forced into taking their respective siblings side. He was broken out of his thoughts when Jeanette asked him a question.

"Um…Simon," she asked shyly. "Should we name our egg too?"

Simon being the dry, logical square of a chipmunk he was couldn't see the logic in naming an egg. It was a school project and it should be kept that way. Well, that was what his opinion was.

"Well, if you want to Jeanette, go ahead. But I don't see any reason in naming it, this being a school assignment and all."

"I guess you're right," she said with a nervous smile. "It would be rather silly."

"SIMON!" yelled Alvin as he grabbed his brother to help in his argument with the newly made mother of his baby egg. Jeanette followed them with a sigh, knowing full well that Brittany would be wanting her to take her side. As she walked over to the quarrelling couple she whispered to herself as she remembered what Simon had said, a weight on her heart.

_"Silly as it may be Simon…I really wanted to name our baby egg too..."_

Chapter 1 Ends

* * *

Kinda short I know. Please Read and Review, I always like receiving feedback. It helps me with my writing and it is so nice to know there are nice folk that take their time to put in a few words for a review.


	2. It should be Pink

Title: Of Eggs and Parenting: Chipmunk Style

Written by: Somnion

Disclaimer: I do not own Alvin and the Chipmunks. It belongs to Bagdasarian productions.

First of all, I'd like to thank all those who reviewed. I'm really touched so many of you took the time to write. This would be the first fanfiction I'm writing about elementary school kids, or chipmunks for that matter, so I'm glad that you guys think I was able to keep the characters in character and I'll try to keep it that way. I usually write romances about teenagers or at least young adults so this was a real jump out of my comfort zone. Anyway, I know you guys didn't come here to have me write to you my life story; so now, onto what you guys have been waiting for; the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 2: It should be Pink

"There," Simon said as he adjusted the legs on the base of the egg case. "That should be able to hold the case upright so it doesn't tilt to its side."

"Thanks, Simon," thanked Alvin with a grin as he grabbed the case of the work table. Simon frowned as he watched Alvin make off with the case. It was amazing, really, that despite the fact they weren't in the same group he still ended up doing Alvin's work.

"Always a pleasure, Alvin," Simon said sarcastically. The argument back home between Alvin and Brittany which he and Jeanette got dragged into had really drained the energy out of him and he was too tired to start another quarrel with his somewhat irresponsible brother. He walked over to his partner, who was already busy writing the introduction paragraph of their report. The egg which they had been tasked to watch over was in front of her, safe in its case. Jeanette, despite having nearly dropped the egg the first time, didn't want to have the egg out of her sight. Simon simply dismissed her strange obsession with the egg as diligence in accomplishing their assignment. He would have pondered more on the subject but Theodore burst down the stairs, his arms carrying a large amount of paint and art supplies.

"I got the paint, everyone," he announced with a smile. "Let's get started."

They all gathered around the stout little chipmunk, each taking a set of brushes and some paint to begin coloring their egg cases. Eleanor and Theodore agreed to paint it green, a lighter shade for the top and a darker shade at the bottom. Simon and Jeanette began mixing blue paint to paint the top half of their case and put aside some purple for the bottom, a coloring which Simon concluded was very similar to Jeanette's choice of clothing, her baggy royal blue turtleneck and purple skirt. Alvin was busy mixing some red paint, while Brittany was mixing in pink. When he was finished mixing the paint with some water, he dipped his brush and was about to start his work. However, no sooner had the brush touched the cardboard of the egg case, Brittany gave out a cry.

"ALVIN!" she screamed. "What are you doing? How dare you paint our baby girl's crib red?! It should be pink!"

"Since when did we decide that our baby egg is a girl anyway?" retorted the infuriated chipmunk. "It's a BOY! And boys don't wear PINK!"

As their siblings argued once again over the gender of the egg, the other chipmunks let out a sigh of weariness. This egg was causing even more quarrels with the two of them than usual. The thought of running and hiding in Simon's lab was beginning to seem more and more like a good idea and the four chipmunks would have probably done that to escape their battling siblings but fortunately, Dave came in just in time before things between Alvin and Brittany completely snowballed out of control.

"What's all this noise?" asked Dave as he entered the room.

"Alvin and Brittany can't decide on a name for their baby," Simon said blankly.

"BABY?!" Dave yelled in surprise. "What baby?"

Alvin and Brittany held up their egg. With a slight chuckle and a sigh of relief, Dave sunk back into a chair, his hand on his forehead. "Oh, that baby," he said. "Of course, I should have guessed it was the egg parenting assignment."

"Dave, Dave," Theodore cried as he ran up to their adoptive father, his egg in his hands. "Eleanor and I named our egg after you. Say hello to Dave, Baby Dave."

"Why, thank you, Theodore and Eleanor," thanked the man as he lovingly rubbed both the little Chipmunk and Chipette's head. "I'm very flattered you would name your egg after me."

"Well," Alvin said suddenly, interrupting the younger chipmunks, "I wanted to name our egg, James, but Brittany keeps insisting that we name it Farah. Dave, come on, tell her how stupid that sounds."

"It's not stupid," Brittany cried in her defense. "Farah is wonderful name, ten times better than James anyway."

"Alvin, Brittany," Dave said with a sigh. "Parenting is not about getting your way all the time. It's a lot on compromising, joint responsibility and doing what's best for the child. Oh, speaking of names, what did you and Jeanette name your egg, Simon?"

"We didn't name it," Simon said bluntly.

"Oh, I guess you two haven't found names yet," summarized Dave, rather hastily. "Well, keep trying, you'll find one. I'm sorry I can't stay too long boys but I've got some errands to run. You kids take care now and no more quarrels, understand?"

"Yes, Dave," answered the group in unison as Dave walked out the door.

"Well, what are we gonna do now?" Alvin pouted. "We still don't know what color to paint our egg case."

'Well, you could always make another one, so that when the egg is with Alvin, the case can be red and when it's with Brittany it can be pink,' suggested Jeanette.

"Well, I guess that's a reasonable compromise," Brittany said after considering the proposal voiced by Jeanette. "Alvin?"

"Deal," He said as he shook Brittany's hand. "And I know just where to get another case."

He turned to his brother Simon who was busy painting his egg's case. A smile was smeared across the mischievous chipmunk's face which Simon recognized all too well. Letting out a defeated sigh, he relented. "Oh, brother, why do I even bother? Fine, I'll make you another case."

As soon as Simon had readied another case and all cases had been nicely painted and left to dry, the question remained what the six of them were going to do until the paint dried. Everyone had things to be done but they couldn't very well leave the eggs alone. So it was decided they would work in shifts to watch the eggs. Simon and Jeanette had the first shift, Alvin and Brittany had the second and Theodore and Eleanor had the third. So as everyone left, Simon and Jeanette began their one hour shift. Since they were stuck in the house, they started work on their homework until an entire hour had passed. Closing their books, they waited for Alvin and Brittany. But when they failed to return after fifteen minutes, the two chipmunks gathered that their siblings weren't going to come back.

"They're not coming back, are they?" Jeanette asked sadly.

"Doesn't look like it," sighed Simon. "It's just like them to forget and make us work their shift for them."

"I really needed to drop off some books at the library too," said Jeanette. "I hope they get back soon. I don't want to be fined for overdue books."

"You go ahead and drop them off, Jeanette; I'll keep an eye on things here until you get back," Simon offered.

Jeanette thanked him as she grabbed her books and headed for the library. She returned the books promptly and was about to leave, when a book caught her eye. The title read; Naming your Baby. Jeanette was hesitant at first; worried that Simon might get the wrong idea if she borrowed it. But then she reasoned that Simon didn't have to know, at least for the moment. Grabbing the book, she checked it out at the counter and stuffed it in her satchel. She didn't know why she checked it out, but a part of her, deep down inside her, moved her to do it.

She made it back to the Seville's house in about fifteen minutes and although half an hour had passed since their shift was over, Alvin and Brittany hadn't shown up yet. Minutes passed until finally, Theodore and Eleanor returned, who were obviously shocked to see Simon and Jeanette still there.

"Simon? Jeanette? What are you guys still doing here, we thought it was Alvin's and Brittany's shift," Theodore asked in surprise.

"Take a wild guess, Theodore," Simon replied.

"I don't believe Alvin and Brittany," said Eleanor. "Making the two of you do their shift for them. I know it's not much time but, you two can take a break now if you want."

"It's alright," Jeanette answered. "We really wanted to go to the library but it's probably closing now."

"Well, Eleanor and I bought this game, would you guys like to play with us then?" Theodore offered as he held up a board game called the Game of Knowledge.

Smiles spread across Simon and Jeanette's faces and they accepted the offer. So, the four chipmunks played their game until they heard the doorbell ring an hour later. Theodore answered it and lo and behold! There stood Brittany who had come back with Alvin carrying a huge amount of boxes.

"Where have you been Brittany?" cried Eleanor as she ran up to face her sister. "Did you know that poor Jeanette and Simon had to work your shift?"

"Well, I tried to tell her," Alvin replied. "But you try talking to her when she's in the middle of a shopping spree."

"I'm so sorry, Jeanette," Brittany apologized. "I just lost track of time." She rummaged around through one of the boxes and pulled out a lavender colored ribbon.

"I know it's not much, Jeanette," she said. "But I bought it for you. I hope you'll accept it."

Jeanette smiled as she took the gift. "Thank you, Brittany. It's beautiful."

Eleanor and Simon let out a sigh. Jeanette was far too forgiving for her own good sometimes. It's a wonder how she was able to put up with Brittany all the time. Still, it was a nice gesture that Brittany had bought Jeanette something, a little act of kindness to show that she cared for her sister.

* * *

It was getting quite late when the Chipettes decided to go home, but now there was another problem and Dave was the first to point it out. "So, who'll be watching the egg tonight?" he asked the six chipmunks.

Each chipmunk looked at their partner; it was obvious that each one of them wanted to keep the egg with them. Their intentions must have been showing because Dave was able to read them and suggested a toss of the coin to decide whether it would be the Chipmunks or the Chipettes who would keep the egg for the first night, a suggestion to which they all agreed.

"Alright, kids," he said as he tossed the coin. "Call it."

Alvin had called heads and Brittany had called tails. The coin tossed in the air and Dave caught it as it began to fall, then slapping the coin onto the back of his fist he removed his hand to show the result of the toss.

"Heads," he said with a smile, "Well, I guess the boys will be keeping the eggs with them. Sorry girls, but don't worry, you'll get your turn tomorrow."

"Ok," said the Chipettes, a bit disappointed that they couldn't take the eggs back. As they made their way to leave, Eleanor stopped and went to Theodore.

"Theodore," she said, "I forgot to give our baby a goodbye kiss. May I?"

"Sure," he said as he passed her the egg.

"Goodnight, Baby Dave," she wished as she pressed a soft kiss on the egg. "Goodnight Theodore, see you tomorrow."

"Alvin, may I see our baby?" Brittany asked; who like her sister wanted to wish her egg goodnight.

Passing her the egg, Brittany gave it a kiss and wished it goodnight. "Goodnight, Baby Farah."

"His name is JAMES!" Alvin yelled after her.

Jeanette waved goodbye to Simon as she and her sisters walked off. The thought of giving her egg a goodnight kiss had obviously crossed Jeanette's mind but part her of her worried what Simon would've thought if she had asked him for the egg. _"Would he think me silly for indulging in such a silly game like that? But still…"_ Her thoughts went unnoticed for Brittany had found out that Eleanor was actually carrying an egg with her, which she had conveniently hidden throughout most of the journey.

"Eleanor," she cried, "is that…"

"I couldn't help it," she said. "I really wanted to bring him home with me. So I switched eggs when Theodore wasn't looking."

"I don't believe it," responded Brittany in surprise. Eleanor cast her eyes down in shame. She really did feel guilty about doing this to Theodore.

"I can't believe my sweet little sister, Eleanor, had such a mischievous streak in her," Brittany screamed teasingly as she hugged her blonde haired sister. "You're a genius, Ellie; I'm surprised that I hadn't thought of doing that myself."

But as Brittany continued teasing Eleanor; their tall, bespectacled sister called out to them. Apparently, Jeanette had forgotten something at the Seville's place and was heading back there. She said she would meet them back home and left with haste. When she reached the Seville's, she was out of breath. She rang the doorbell and Simon was the one to answer it.

"Jeanette, what's wrong?" he asked with concern as he noticed her fatigue.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "but I forgot something."

Simon invited her in and she quickly made her way upstairs to finish what she had forgotten to do, surprising Simon with her hurry. The boys were having dinner with Dave so no one was in the room when she got there and when she looked at Simon's nightstand, there it was. As quick as she could, she opened the lid of the egg case and carefully gave her egg a goodnight kiss and hasty wish goodnight before anyone saw her.

"Goodnight, Baby," she whispered so no one would hear.

She came downstairs and apologized and for her intrusion before leaving. As she walked back home, she felt a large weight lifted off her shoulders. Placing her hands on her chest, she prayed from the depths of her heart that somehow Simon would soon understand how she felt so she wouldn't have to keep hiding her motherly affections which, despite her rational mind was reasoning against, seemed to be growing stronger and stronger.

Chapter 2 Ends

* * *

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. The writing of your thoughts is invaluable to me. Thank you.


	3. Home Alone

Title: Of Eggs and Parenting: Chipmunk Style

Written by: Somnion

Disclaimer: I do not own Alvin and the Chipmunks. It belongs to Bagdasarian productions

Once again, thank you for all the reviews that you have written and all those who read this story. I was a little late in publishing this chapter; I am actually having my final examinations now. Updates may be slow until the examinations are over but I'll try to update as soon as I can.

* * *

Chapter 3: Home Alone

Eleanor was the first one to get up the next morning. It was no surprise after all, she was the only one who had her egg with her and she wanted to wish it 'Good Morning'. Turning to her bedside table, she smiled and greeted her little egg.

"Good Morning, Baby Dave," she said as she got out of bed as she gave her egg a kiss.

Eleanor was obviously in a good mood that morning, singing as she made her bed and drew the curtains open. Brittany and Jeanette, who were still in bed, closed their eyes tighter as they tried to go back to sleep. It was six o' clock on a Saturday morning and under normal circumstances, none of them would be awake at such an early hour. Eleanor continued her humming as she made her way downstairs to have breakfast, but chances are that Miss Miller hadn't even set the table yet given that she would not have expected any of the Chipettes to be awake so early.

Two hours later, when Brittany and Jeanette decided to wake up and begin their day, they were surprised to see Eleanor still having her breakfast at the breakfast table. Either she hadn't had anything to eat yet or this would be, as Jeanette figured, Eleanor's second breakfast as she was reminded of the hobbits from her Lord of the Rings novel. Jeanette began to wonder again; maybe Eleanor had a hobbit ancestry, such a possibility would explain her appetite. As Jeanette pondered over the mysteries of their possible Hobbit ancestry, Brittany was busy having her breakfast and talking with her younger sister.

"Oh, I hope Theodore doesn't notice that I switched eggs," Eleanor said worryingly.

"Don't worry about it, Ellie," Brittany said as she poured milk onto her cereal. "Boys are clueless. Theodore probably won't even realize that the egg in his case is just a dummy egg."

"Are boys really that clueless?" Jeanette asked as she broke out of her trance and Brittany knew that the only reason Jeanette was asking this question was whether it was true in regards to Simon, who obviously wasn't stupid.

"There are two kinds of boys Jeanette," she replied. "They're either as dumb as a rock or as unimaginative as a tree stump. Either way, they're both dense."

Eleanor giggled as she realised that her elder sister's generalization was obviously based on Alvin and Simon. As they finished their breakfast, they each had a shower and dressed up. They all wanted to see their eggs and so they got the phone and called the Seville's residence.

* * *

"Simon," Theodore called, "does Baby Dave look different to you?"

"Different?" asked Simon quizzically. "What do you mean by that, Theodore?"

"Well, he seems to be slightly browner than he was yesterday," replied the chubby little butterball.

"Theodore, eggs don't just change colour," reasoned the always logical Simon.

"Really, Simon? Are you sure?"

"Of course," Simon assured as he brushed his teeth. "It's probably just your imagination, Theodore. Don't worry about it."

Alvin rushed up the stairs as the two younger Chipmunks talked. "I just got off the phone with Brittany, guys," he informed his brothers. "They want us to meet them at their house with our eggs."

The Chipmunks wasted no time in getting ready and in about half an hour, all of them had cleaned up, brushed their teeth, dressed and were sitting at the breakfast table with Dave. After their meal, they made their exit except Theodore who was still hungry and was still at the table. Dave had already left to do the groceries and the two elder Chipmunks were ready to go. After a while, Alvin and Simon started to lose patience with their youngest brother's tardiness due to his insistence to finish of his hefty breakfast. Finally, they decided to go on ahead and told Theodore to meet them at the Millers to which Theodore agreed.

* * *

The Chipettes were waiting anxiously for the Chipmunks and Brittany was prompt to answer the doorbell when she heard it ring.

"Alvin! Simon!" she greeted with a smile, but when she realised that they were short a Chipmunk she asked, "Where's Theodore?"

"The little butterball is still eating his breakfast," Alvin said with a smirk as Brittany invited them inside.

"Oh, I see," Brittany said with relief, glad that Theodore's absence wasn't because Theodore realised that Eleanor had switched eggs. The Chipmunks entered the living room as Brittany escorted them in. Jeanette was waiting there but Eleanor was upstairs doing something or another. No sooner had Alvin sat down, Brittany suggested on taking their egg for a walk around the town.

"But I just got here," complained Alvin. "Can't I just sit down for a minute?"

"Well, you should have gotten here earlier if you wanted to sit down," Brittany snapped. "We've wasted a lot of time and there are a lot of places we need to visit with our baby."

Before Alvin could retaliate, Brittany grabbed the egg and his arm and was out the door in flash, leaving behind a very surprised Simon and an equally surprised Jeanette.

"Here, Jeanette," Simon said as he placed their egg on the table. "I brought it like Brittany told us to."

"Thank you, Simon," thanked the brown haired Chipette. "I hope you didn't have any trouble."

"Hardly," said Simon who was little confused at the question. "I mean, how much trouble could an egg cause? It's just an egg after all."

"Yes, I guess so," said Jeanette, a little embarrassed about asking the question. "Sorry I acted so silly."

Simon suggested that they should continue their report and Jeanette was, as always, quick to agree. The couple went upstairs to the Chipette's room to do their work. However, as they walked up the flight of stairs, Eleanor was just exiting the room when she saw her sister.

"Oh, Jeanette," Eleanor called nervously. "Is Theodore here?"

Jeanette shook her head. It obviously did not help to calm Eleanor down. "Oh, I hope Theodore didn't realise I switched our eggs?"

Jeanette's' eyes widened and her body tensed. Simon was right behind her and had probably heard what Eleanor had just revealed. She prayed that Simon didn't hear but unfortunately he did. Eleanor's secret was now compromised.

"You switched your eggs?" Simon asked, raising an eyebrow as he met the two stunned Chipettes.

"Simon!" Eleanor shouted in surprise. "It's not what you think...I..."

"Don't worry," Simon interrupted. "I won't tell but you should quickly switch the eggs back when Theodore gets here. He did notice a difference in the eggs this morning but I told him it was his imagination. Guess he wasn't completely wrong..."

* * *

Theodore had finished his breakfast and was just cleaning up the table. When he put all the tableware away, he grabbed his egg and was about to leave. However as he tried to open the door, he found that it didn't budge. He continued in his attempts to open it but soon realised that the door was stuck. He then remembered that Dave told them that the latch on the door was stuck and he was going to fix it. Theodore figured that Alvin must have forgotten and closed it on accident when he came in to tell him that they were going to the Miller's residence ahead of him.

"Oh no," whimpered the little Chipmunk. "I'm stuck."

He wanted to call someone for help but the phone was in the living room and not in the kitchen. He was really starting to get frightened being locked at home all alone. He knocked on the stuck kitchen door, hoping someone would still be there and would rescue him, but to no avail. Everyone had left to do their own things, leaving him alone. He sank back into a chair and clung to himself, almost at the verge of tears. He was very afraid being alone in a situation like this yet there would be no choice for him now. He would have to wait for someone to find him.

"I hope Eleanor won't be angry that I'm late," he said sadly.

* * *

Brittany and Alvin were having a ball, walking around town with their egg. They took it to the park, the arcade and even for a short look of the library. After a couple of hours, Brittany called for a break and Alvin, who had been on his feet the whole morning, was all too happy to oblige. They found a nice ice-cream parlour and decided to have some ice-cream. As Alvin walked to the counter to place their order, Brittany found them some seats. Placing the egg on the table, she waited for her partner to return.

"Alright, they should be here with the ice-cream soon," Alvin said as he took a seat.

"Isn't this wonderful, Alvin," sighed Brittany with a contented smile. "Ice-cream on a hot summer day."

"Sure is," he replied.

There were times when the two of them get along without fighting and whenever they did, they looked like a very pretty couple. Their constant fighting and arguing was obviously a part of their love/hate relationship and although it had a tendency to overshadow their many tender moments, it was something neither of them wanted to give up for it seemed that their arguments and fights added a little spice and flavour in their relationship. The peace continued as they ate their ice cream, so much so that Brittany teasingly let Alvin taste a little of her chocolate-chip ice-cream. It's a pity that the peace was broken when the bill came.

"What's this?" Brittany asked indignantly as she saw two separate bills.

"I asked the waiter for separate bills," Alvin said plainly.

"But...But shouldn't you be a gentleman and pay for a lady?" asked Brittany sweetly as she batted her eyelashes at her Chipmunk counterpart.

"Don't worry," said Alvin jokingly. "I will when I see one."

Brittany was well known for her notoriously short fuse and Alvin had just sparked it off, yet again. She slammed her share of the bill on the table before yelling at Alvin, causing all eyes to turn to them.

"Fine," she yelled. "Here's the money. Just you see if I'll ever go out with you again, you toad."

With that, she stormed out of the parlour. Alvin, who now, was also in a bad mood, took the money and paid the bill. He left immediately, much to the relief of the other customers, it had gotten rather awkward after Alvin and Brittany's little lover's spat.

* * *

Meanwhile, Simon, Jeanette and Eleanor were all awaiting Theodore's arrival but there was no sign of him. Two hours had passed and now they were beginning to worry. Simon even called his home but no one answered. Finally, Eleanor stood up and told them she was going to go and see Theodore herself and explain everything. Deep down, she had begun to worry that perhaps the reason Theodore refused to show up was because he had discovered her secret. She wished Simon and her sister, Jeanette, goodbye as she left for the Seville's.

"I hope things turn out alright," whispered Jeanette in a worried tone.

"Don't worry," was Simon's reply as he put his hand on Jeanette's shoulder to ensure her. "Theodore is very forgiving by nature and even if he is upset, he doesn't hold a grudge for long. Eleanor should be fine."

"I hope so."

They were planning to go to the library that day but just as they were about to leave, Miss Miller called Jeanette and asked her if she could spare the time to run over to the grocery store to pick up some flour and sugar. Jeanette was always eager to help and agreed to go. She dropped her satchel and apologised to Simon. She promised she'd be back soon and then they would go to the library. Simon sighed as he laid his backpack down against the wall. He sat on the living room couch and waited. His eyes wandered around, trying to find something to keep him occupied. It was then he spied a book in Jeanette's satchel and it had a library book code on its side. Simon recalled that Jeanette had to drop some books off at the library yesterday.

"Had she forgotten one?" he thought to himself.

Normally Simon would never go through someone else's belongings, after all he knew better than to do something like that. But he was worried that Jeanette may have accidently forgotten to return the book so he picked it up to check the return date. It surprised him when he looked at the dates, for the book was checked out only yesterday. However, what surprised him more was the title of the book; 'Naming Your Baby.'

"Why would Jeanette borrow a book like this?" He thought to himself. "There are no babies for her to name."

But then, his eyes fell on the egg case where he kept his and Jeanette's egg. Memories of the day before returned to his head as he, Jeanette and their siblings walked home from school.

"_Umm... Simon, should we name our egg too?"_

"_Well, if you want to Jeanette, go ahead. But I don't see any reason in naming it, this being a school assignment and all."_

"Jeanette..." he whispered under his breath, his mind still lost in confusion, as the realisation that Jeanette may have had maternal feelings for the egg all along finally hit him on the head.

Chapter 3 Ends

* * *

As always I look forward to hearing from all of you. Thank you very much for reading the story.


	4. Ask Dave

Title: Of Eggs and Parenting: Chipmunk Style

Written by: Somnion

Disclaimer: I do not own Alvin and the Chipmunks. They belong to Bagdasarian Productions

Once again, I'd like to thank all readers and all those who left their reviews. For all readers, I'd like to mention that this chapter has some elements from the Chipmunk Valentine Special, which can be watched on Youtube. For those who didn't watch it, these elements won't affect you very much but those who did watch it will understand some areas better. Now, for the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 4: Ask Dave

Simon's amazing brain was having trouble computing this new revelation. Jeanette had maternal feelings for an egg. He knew girls were maternal by nature and were better with kids than men, but this was an EGG!

As he was trying to process the new information, he heard Jeanette return from the grocery store. Quickly, he slipped the book back into her satchel. Jeanette opened the door and walked in with the flour and sugar. Simon went to help her; she was carrying far too much in her hands. It was a good thing too; she nearly knocked over the coat rack while carrying the goods.

"Thank you, Simon," thanked Jeanette. "Now, let's go to the library."

Normally, Simon would be the first to agree to a visit to the library but his recent discovery was running circles around his head. He knew from experience that being with anyone with this frame of mind only led to disaster. He had to come up with an excuse so he could get his head back on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Jeanette, I just remembered I agreed to help Dave out with some chores," Simon lied. "I need to go home now. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Jeanette, not suspecting anything, said that she understood and she'd keep an eye on the egg until Simon got back. Thanking her, Simon made his way out the door and back home to clear his head.

* * *

"I can't believe Brittany," Alvin mumbled as he kicked a pebble on the sidewalk. "A toad, she says. Well, what does she know?"

Alvin was still hopping mad since his most recent quarrel with the auburn-haired Chipette. He couldn't understand why she couldn't simply pay for her own share. It's not as though he asked her to pay for him. Then she had the nerve to say that he should pay, as he always does on their dates.

"Whoever came up with that stupid idea that GUYS have to pay for everything?" He complained to himself. "Why can't a girl pay once in awhile? It's not like they don't have any money. They're all just cheapskates."

He didn't realise that he was passing by their school. He looked into the school's garden and at first he didn't think much on it but then he suddenly remembered. Last Valentines Day, on the bench near the little pond, Brittany was sitting alone after Alvin, who had been masquerading as Captain Chipmunk, dumped her right before the dance because she had insulted him the night before. She cried that night and what she said to herself came to Alvin's mind.

"_If only Alvin had asked to the ball earlier, I wouldn't have been stuck with that two-faced Captain Chipmunk. All I ever wanted was for Alvin to be my King Valentine."_

"She called me a toad then too," he thought as feelings of guilt tugged away at him. That Valentines Day, he really felt bad about making her cry and the fact that all she wanted was for him to ask her out added salt to his wounds. He knew that deep down, despite their endless fights, he really liked her and that she had confirmed that she felt the same on many occasions. She would probably be all alone right now; crying on account of what he had said to her.

With a sigh, he remembered what Simon would always say to him whenever he was about to do or had did something wrong; 'Let your conscience be your guide.' A smile came to his face as he resolved that he was going take a higher path and apologize to his Chipette sweetheart.

* * *

Dave opened the door, not expecting anyone to be home, since the boys told him that they would be with the girls today. He'd been out doing groceries, since the pantry was completely empty and needed refilling, and he was now heading to the kitchen to put them away. The kitchen door was closed and he sighed wearily for he told the boys not to close it. With a little effort, he was able to open it and walked in with the groceries. He was surprised when he smelled the smell of cooking but he was utterly shocked to see Theodore crying and crouched away in a corner.

"Theodore!" Dave cried with concern. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

The Chipmunk ran to his guardian, tears still streaming from his eyes. Dave caught him and tried to calm the poor fellow down, but Theodore looked as though he was trying to say something.

"I'm a terrible person," Theodore sobbed.

Dave was shocked, this was so unlike Theodore. "No, that's not true, Theodore," comforted Dave. "Why would you even think that?"

"Because...because..."

"What is it, Theodore," asked a confused Dave in a concerned tone.

"I ate Baby Dave!" cried Theodore, his tears coming even more than before.

To say that Dave was shocked would have been an understatement to say the least. For a couple seconds, Dave's mind was a complete blank.

"There was no food in the pantry and I was all alone in the kitchen for two whole hours," sniffed the sobbing Chipmunk. "I got so hungry, I...I...just..."

"Oh, Theodore...I'm sorry. It must have been so difficult for you," said Dave as he tried to comfort and calm his sobbing boy.

"What will I tell, Eleanor, Dave?" whispered Theodore tearfully. "She trusted me with Baby Dave. I let her down."

Placing his hands on Theodore's shoulders, Dave moved the Chipmunk to look him in the eye. He gave him an encouraging smile and told him that he should tell her the truth and to apologize to her. Wiping his tears, Theodore gathered the egg shells and the egg case and made his way out the backdoor; he wanted to take the long way to the Chipette's home to think about what he was going to tell Eleanor. As Dave put the groceries into the pantry, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Theodore; being locked up like that must have been quite an ordeal. There wasn't much time for him to think about it because five minutes later, he heard the doorbell ring. Today was turning to into a very surprising day indeed, Dave figured, for the one at the door was none other Eleanor!

"Hello, Eleanor," greeted Dave. "This is a surprise. I wasn't expecting you."

"Hello, Dave," greeted Eleanor in return. "Is Theodore home?"

"I'm sorry, Eleanor," replied Dave. "You just missed him. I think he went to your house; he had something...to talk to you about the egg."

"Oh no," whimpered Eleanor. "He found out I switched the eggs."

"You switched eggs?!" asked a now very confused Dave.

"Oh, it's nothing," Eleanor interrupted. "Sorry, for bothering you, Dave."

With that, Eleanor left, leaving Dave more confused than ever. Eleanor switching the egg without Theodore's knowledge, Theodore eating the dummy egg which he thought was the real egg. Who would have thought that the egg parenting assignment would end up becoming so complicated? Not him, that's for sure. He went back to the kitchen to finish putting the groceries away but then heard the door open. He wondered who had come in but just then he heard Simon's voice down the hallway.

"Simon,' he called, "Good thing you're here. I could use a hand with these groceries." However, when Simon didn't answer, Dave began to wonder what was going on. Then he realised, when Simon came in, he heard Simon's voice which only meant one thing.

"Oh no," Dave sighed. "He's talking to himself again."

Dave knew that the only time Simon ever talked to himself was when he was having some problems. Today was really turning out to be a real tiring day. He walked up the staircase to the Chipmunks room. As he had expected, he found Simon pacing up and down, still engaged in his frustrated monologue.

"This doesn't make any sense," he murmured, his hands grabbing his scalp and messing his sparse chipmunk hair. "I mean I know there's scientific evidence that girls like babies but babies are real. Well, not that an egg's not real, but it doesn't do anything, it has no face, it doesn't react to your talking to it or anything. I don't understand. Cannot...compute..."

"Simon, is everything alright?" Dave asked as he came in.

Simon straightened his hair as the older man came in, trying to compose himself. "It's nothing Dave."

"Doesn't seem like it," Dave replied with a chuckle. "Come on, what's going on? You only talk to yourself when something's on your mind."

Seeing that Dave wasn't going to take no for an answer, he sat on his bed and Dave sat on Alvin's. Simon then told Dave the whole story and how he found the book in Jeanette's satchel. Dave listened until Simon reached the end of his tale.

"You know, Simon," Dave said at last. "It seems to me that Jeanette is just using her imagination."

"Her imagination," Simon repeated.

"Yes, though it is an egg, but from her eyes, she sees it as a child. You should try it too, Simon. I might help you do a better job in the assignment."

"But this an assignment, Dave. It should be handled in a logical, practical manner," argued Simon.

"Didn't Albert Einstein once quote that 'Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere'. You were the one who told me that," replied Dave with a smile.

Simon chuckled slightly; it was just like Dave to use Albert's quotes to help him see the light. It was true, logic and knowledge are always limited, but the imagination is boundless and filled with endless possibilities. Turning to Dave, he smiled and said, "You're right, Dave. I should give it a try, I guess."

"Will you be meeting with Jeanette now?" Dave asked.

"I plan to but there is something very important I need to do first," replied the Chipmunk.

He jumped off his bed and headed out the door in a hurry. Dave smiled to himself as he watched his bespectacled boy run off to do whatever he was going to do. Today was turning out to be quite an eventful day.

* * *

Alvin rang the doorbell at the Millers house and Jeanette was the one to open the door.

"Hello Alvin," she said as she saw the flamboyant A on the Chipmunk's shirt, recognizing him instantly.

"Is Brittany home?" he asked.

"She's upstairs," answered Jeanette. "She's very upset. She said she didn't want to see you"

"Think she can make an exception?" he asked, as he showed the brown-haired Chipette the gift he had bought for her sister.

"I think she might," Jeanette answered with a smile as she allowed the Chipmunk to enter. "She's in our room."

Jeanette and Alvin ascended the flight of stairs to the Chipettes room. Brittany was lying on her bed, and as Alvin predicted she was crying. Guess she took that insult a little harder than he thought. After all, Brittany, despite being the eldest, was the most emotional of all the Chipettes. She was obviously not happy when she found that Jeanette had admitted Alvin in against her wishes.

"I told you I didn't want to see him, Jeanette," she said with a pout, turning her face away from Alvin.

Sensing that Jeanette wasn't going to say anything against her sister, Alvin figured that he better enter the fray and draw away Brittany's fury from Jeanette.

"Hey Brittany," he called.

"Go away, Alvin," she said, her face turning away from his every time he tried to face her.

Alvin knew by instinct, due to his close relationship with the blue-eyed Chipette, that the best way to get Brittany's attention is to swoon over her and this was a tactic which had never failed him before. Getting down a knee, he proclaimed in a loud voice.

"Oh my fair lady," he began. "Why do you turn from me so? Can you not see that this handsome knave seeks naught but your attention?"

Jeanette giggled quietly in a corner as Alvin tried to sweet talk her sister. Alvin obviously had no idea what a knave was, she thought to herself. But then again, handsome knave was probably one of the many ways one could use to describe Alvin.

"Lady," scoffed Brittany. "That's not what you said before."

"That's because a woman of such beauty is far above such a title. Why, a woman such as you should be described as a Queen. Will you ever forgive this lowly knave for his impertinence?" continued the Chipmunk.

Brittany was obviously enjoying the praise she was getting from Alvin. Then Alvin presented his gift, a fine bouquet of red roses. Brittany squealed in delight as she received them.

"Oh Alvin, these are beautiful," she said.

"Beautiful roses for a beautiful person."

Brittany giggled as she took the roses down to put them in water. Alvin followed down, his heart filled with pride as he managed to tame the fiery temper of his fair Chipette. Brittany put the vase on the living room table, the flowers adding colour to the room.

"So, my King," Brittany called, her head still in the clouds. "Where is our baby, Princess Farah? I trust you were taking care of her in my absence."

I took a while for Alvin to figure out what Brittany was trying to say, but then he understood.

"What do you mean taking care of it?" he asked. "I thought you were supposed to be taking care of it."

"But if it's not with you or me, then that would mean..." Brittany said in shock.

Both Chipmunk and Chipette turned white at the reality that was now staring them in the face.

"We lost our egg!"

Chapter 4 Ends

* * *

Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing from you through reviews.


	5. Three Sets of Parents

Title: Of Eggs and Parenting: Chipmunk Style

Written by: Somnion

Disclaimer: I do not own Alvin and the Chipmunks. They belong to Bagdasarian Productions

Once again I'd like to thank all reviewers and readers who have supported and read this fanfiction. Alas, all things must come to an end and the same thing is true for this story. I hope you have all enjoyed this piece as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have ideas for some new stories so please look out for them. So now, here is the final chapter of this story. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 5: Three Sets of Parents

Eleanor had looked everywhere for Theodore. She went home to look for him and then around town but she couldn't find him at all. Panic piled upon panic as the possibility of Theodore finding out that she had switched their egg and that she had broken his trust made her heart beat anxiously in her chest. However, after a half an hour of running all over town, her fatigue was beginning to catch up with her. She decided she needed to take a breather. Looking around, she found herself at her school. The doors were locked since it was a weekend but at least the benches were outside so she could sit on one of them as she caught her breath. However, as she sat down she realised there was another person present. It was Theodore! The little Chipmunk hadn't noticed her yet; he seemed to be preoccupied at the moment as he tried to look through the windows of the school as though he was looking for something.

"Theodore!" Eleanor called as she ran up to her best friend.

"E-Eleanor," stammered Theodore when he realised that he was not alone.

"I've been looking all over for you, Theodore," said Eleanor. "Where have you been? I thought we were supposed to meet at our house?"

Theodore was shaking and he clutched in his hand what Eleanor recognised was the egg case they had made the day before. His eyes didn't meet hers at all. He looked away from her the whole time. Theodore was acting strange and Eleanor really began to worry.

"I'm sorry, Eleanor," he whispered.

"Sorry? Sorry for what, Theodore?"

"I...I was locked in our kitchen. Everyone had gone and I was stuck in there for two hours... There was no food in the pantry and I...I ate our egg."

Theodore opened the egg case to reveal the broken eggshells that he had kept inside it. Just as Dave was before, Eleanor was at a loss of words. It's true that Theodore had only eaten the dummy egg but she really didn't know how to react to this sudden turn of events. Theodore, however, thought that due to her silence, she was angry at him and that she was still in shock.

"I was going to meet with Mr Hooper and tell him what happened," Theodore explained. "At least then, if he knows it was my fault and not yours, he won't give you a bad grade. I'm really sorry, Ellie... This is all my fault..."

Realising where the conversation was heading, Eleanor quickly interrupted.

"Oh, Theodore, I'm so sorry," she said as she hugged him, surprising the green clad Chipmunk. "Locked in the kitchen for two hours, it must have been horrible for you."

"But, Eleanor," stuttered the confused Chipmunk, "I ate our egg. We could get a bad grade because of me. I thought you would be angry with me."

Eleanor opened a small pouch she tied on her waist. In it was an egg case which she had made. Opening it, she revealed its contents to Theodore.

"Ellie...Is that...?"

"I'm sorry, Theodore," she apologised. "I really wanted to take Baby Dave with me last night. So I switched eggs with you. The one that was in your case was a dummy egg. I'm sorry I lied to you. Won't you forgive me?"

"Ellie," Theodore cried, who was now smiling brightly and filled with joy, "you've saved us. Thanks to you, Baby Dave is still alive. There's nothing for me to forgive you for."

"You're not upset I lied to you?"

"Not at all," he said cheerfully. "I'm so glad, Ellie. Um...are you upset that I accidently ate the dummy egg? Because it could have been Baby Dave if you hadn't switched eggs."

Eleanor shook her head. "I know you would never do anything to hurt Baby Dave. Although we're pretending it's a baby, it's still an egg and it would have been unfair of me to make you starve if you were stuck like that. So no, I would not have been angry. I would've understood Theodore."

Theodore was so overcome with joy; he gave Eleanor a big bear hug before returning the egg to her.

"Ellie?" he called.

"Yes, Theodore?"

"From now on, let's promise to do our best for baby Dave and never keep secrets from each other."

With a smile, she nodded and said, "It's a promise."

* * *

"We've looked everywhere," Brittany said with a pout as she walked into the Seville's home. "We practically turned that ice-cream parlour upside down and I asked all the staff and even the manager there. No one had seen it."

"Where could it be?" groaned Alvin in frustration as he entered his home.

"This is all your fault, Alvin," snapped Brittany angrily.

"My fault?" he shouted in return. "If you hadn't stormed off and caused such a scene, this would never have happened."

"Well, if you would have been a bit more of a gentleman, I wouldn't have stormed off."

"Well, you should have been cooperative and paid your share of the bill."

"Well, you shouldn't be so cheap, Alvin."

"Well, you should learn to control your temper, Brittany."

At this point, Brittany was shaking from head to toe. Alvin figured that she was just about to burst into a fit of fiery rage but what happened shocked him. Brittany did burst alright, but not into a rage but into tears.

"What does it matter whose fault it is?" she wailed as she sat on the couch, her face in her hands to hide her tears. "It doesn't change the fact that we lost our baby."

She was right, Alvin thought to himself. It didn't matter who was right or wrong in this case. The fact that remained was that they lost their due to their reckless and irresponsible behaviour.

"What kind of mother am I?" Brittany cried. "I would tease Jeanette about her egg but in the end she's an even better mother than me."

Alvin really didn't like seeing Brittany this way. She had many other faces; smiles, frowns and pouts, and he liked them all. However, a sad face was the only he truly didn't like to see. He walked up to her and sat beside her and put his arm around her.

"You know, Brittany," he said. "Even though we lost our egg, I wouldn't want to have anyone else as the mother for the egg than you. Furthermore, it wasn't only your fault, it was my fault too."

"Oh, Alvin," sniffed Brittany as she wiped away her tears from her eyes. "I don't care if we name her Farah or if we name him James, I just want our baby back."

"That can be arranged," said a voice from behind them which they both recognised as Dave.

"Dave!" the chipmunks cried in unison.

"I think this belongs to the two of you," Dave said as he returned a red egg case to the delighted couple. Brittany screamed for joy as she received the egg case from Dave, thanking him over and over again.

"Where did you find it, Dave?" asked Alvin. "We looked everywhere but we couldn't find him."

"Well," he explained, "I actually saw you two at the ice-cream parlour. I stopped there for some ice-cream after the groceries and that was when I saw the two of you. I was planning on say 'Hi' but since you two were having so much fun, I didn't want to intrude. However, after your little stunt at the parlour, I noticed that you had left your egg behind. I was going to give you both a lecture before I gave it back but it seems you kids have learned the lesson all by yourselves."

"Thanks Dave," thanked Alvin who was extremely happy that he was spared from one of Dave's lectures.

"You're welcome, Alvin. I trust that you two will hold to your word and stop fighting with each other."

"Yes, Dave," Alvin replied. "We promise we'll stop fighting. Isn't that right, Britt?"

Brittany nodded in agreement. Dave smiled, pleased with the young couple's change of attitude, and then he headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"Well, Brittany, we still have to decide on a name," Alvin said as Dave had left the room. "I'm okay with Farah, so if you like we can name her that."

Brittany smiled as she scooted over to Alvin, her hands still cradling the egg case that held their egg.

"Let's name him James, Alvin," she said softly, surprising Alvin who had never figured Brittany could speak in such a soft tone. "We'll name our next one Farah."

* * *

Simon rang the doorbell of the Miller's household. Miss Miller was in and she answered the door.

"Oh, it's Simon. How are you, Simon?" she welcomed warmly. "Here to see little Jeanette, I'm sure."

"Yes, Miss Miller. We have a school assignment together," he replied.

"Well, come on in. Jeanette's upstairs."

Simon headed upstairs to the Chipettes bedroom. He was about to the knock the door to get permission to enter but then he heard Jeanette talking. He couldn't show her what he had made for her with one of her sisters in there. However, it was not long before when he realised she was not talking to her sisters but to her egg.

"It's getting late, baby," Simon heard her say. "It's time for you to sleep. Mother will sing you a lullaby."

Simon then heard Jeanette sing a sweet lullaby to the egg and although his good sense of reasoning advised him against it, hearing her sing had prompted him to open the door quietly to take a look inside. Watching Jeanette then and there had really made it clear to Simon just how maternal Jeanette really was. He stood at the door and listened to her entire song and watched as she finally placed the egg case on her bedside table when she had finished. It was just then that Jeanette finally noticed Simon's reflection in the mirror, surprising her.

"Si...Simon," she said with a slight jump. "How long where you there?"

"Some time," he said bashfully. "Sorry I didn't knock."

Jeanette began to worry and questions began to race through her mind. _What had Simon seen? How long had he been there? Did he see me singing the lullaby? Did he hear me talking to the egg? _However, all those questions were not nearly as important as the question that made her tremble slightly.

"_Does he think I'm silly that I did something like that?"_

"Umm... Simon, about all that singing earlier...I can explain. You see..."

She stopped when she saw Simon draw from behind him a small wooden crib, a little smaller than the cribs for dolls and presented it to her.

"Simon," Jeanette asked, confused with Simon's gift. "What is this for?"

"The baby does need a place to sleep," he said as he looked away from the brown haired Chipette. "So I...I thought I'd make one for her."

"But, I thought this was a school project. That we were going to do it scientifically. Isn't that what you wanted, Simon?"

"But it's not what you wanted, was it, Jeanette?"

Jeanette nodded her head silently in response. Things had become very awkward between the two chipmunks. Not only had Simon built a little crib but also had referred to the egg as 'Baby' for the first time. Jeanette now gathered that Simon had found out how she truly felt about the egg and although it was Jeanette's hope that Simon would realise her maternal feelings; now that he did, she didn't know how to approach the situation without looking like a complete idiot. The silence was becoming deafening and the tension in the air was so thick, you could have called it a fog. Simon was the first to break the silent atmosphere that was brewing in the air between them.

"I found the book you checked out yesterday," he said.

"I see," Jeanette whispered in reply, her eyes cast down as she tried to avoid his gaze to hide her embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Jeanette. I didn't realise you felt that way and I'm sorry I didn't realise it sooner," Simon apologized.

"It's not your fault," she replied as she tried to take some of the blame. "I should have just told you how I felt. Even though it's just an egg, I was really hoping that we too could pretend it was a baby."

"Well," Simon said, seeing an opening to break the awkward air between them, "if that's how we're going to approach the assignment, I get to tuck her in to bed since you've sung to her."

Jeanette was a little surprised with Simon's sudden suggestion but felt a weight lift off her heart as she saw him take the egg and place it into the little crib, tucking the egg with a blanket which he had sewn from an old tablecloth. This is how she had imagined their assignment to be and now it was happening before her.

"By the way," Simon asked after tucking in their egg. "Have you named the baby yet?"

"Actually," she replied, a shy smile on her lips, "I was hoping her father would name her."

Simon scratched the back of his neck, a gesture of nervousness as he looked away from her bashfully. He sat on the bed next to Jeanette and reached for the book of baby names from her satchel.

"I would like it if we named her together, she is our baby after all," he said as he handed her the book.

Jeanette opened the book and smiled, laying it open on their laps as they screened through the pages to find a name for their baby.

* * *

**Next Monday after school, at the supermarket**

"I told you Brittany and I would make good parents," Alvin boasted as he flashed their A-grade report.

"I'm surprised Mr Hooper gave you and A despite nearly having lost your egg," Simon said bluntly.

"Well, an A is an A," Alvin replied with a self satisfied smirk.

"But since all of us got A's, I guess the bet is off, huh?" Theodore said as he reached for a package of "Tooty Fruities" from one of the shelves.

"It's too bad we only could only watch them for the weekend," Eleanor said with a sigh. "I really miss Baby Dave."

"Oh, my poor Baby James," Brittany cried. "Your mother misses you so."

"Yea," Jeanette agreed. "I really miss Baby Marie too. Her crib is going to be empty tonight."

"Not necessarily, Jeanette," Simon said with a smile as he looked at the shelves on the next aisle. Realising what Simon had seen, all six chipmunks gave each other knowing smiles as each couple picked an egg from the shelf. For the Chipmunks and the Chipettes, the lessons from egg- parenting had only begun.

* * *

The End

Thanks for reading and i hope you guys had fun.

'


End file.
